No Military Helipads
in Yanbaru Forest
WWF Japan and Residence’s group of No Helipad
Biodiversity of Yanbaru Forest
There is Jungle Warfare Training Center of United States Marine
Corps (7,500 ha) in the area called Yanbaru – Northeast mountain sideof Higashi and Kunigami village, Okinawa. Subtropical natural forestand mountain stream remain, and the area provides habitats for over
4,000 species of wildlife. 11 animals and 12 plants are peculiar to theYanbaru area. A large number of Threatened Species are listed in theRed List, 188 species in Okinawan Red List, and 177 in the Red List ofEnvironment Ministry. Jungle Warfare Training Center and theYanbaru Forest around the center have quite important naturalenvironment and biodiversity including numerous endemic, endemic
subspecific, and threatened species.

Harmful effect of U.S. military helipads

Jungle Warfare Training CenterNorthern half of the Jungle Warfare Training Center isscheduled for retiring to Japan. However, the construction of 6
helipads (75m in diameter) and roads are required in return. If
the helipads are constructed and military exercises carry out, it isconsidered to have serious adverse effect on forest and thewildlife living in the area.

Call for the cancellation of helipads
Natural environment and the wildlife living in the Jungle

VTOL Osprey

Warfare Training Center are of considerable value as World
natural heritage. IUCN urged both Japanese and American

Kunigami

governments to consider other alternatives, including ZeroOption (option of no constriction), also to set up a protected areaand management action plan for Okinawa Woodpecker andOkinawa Rail in the years of 2000 and 2004. The governments

HigashiTakaeshould also call off the helipads constriction plan to the security
and tranquil life of the people who lives in Takae, Higashi village,
situated next to the helipads.

Location of the planning six helipads

Voice from Takae
Takae has as many as 157 inhabitants, of them 14 people are elementary and juniorhigh schoolers and 11 people are preschooler. They live freely and vivaciously inthe environment of great biodiversity. Takae is seemingly moderate, yet there is aU.S. military base just like everywhere in Okinawa. In our daily life, helicopters
crisscross overhead of our settlement, right next to the schoolhouse in the middle ofclass, morning, noon, and night with a loud noise. New helipads constriction began
in 2007, if the helipads are constructed; the concentration of helipads within Takae
increase and that takes alarm of future roar of helicopter and its fall accident. We,
the people of Takae are adamantly opposed to the construction of the helipads.

Sit-in protest continues in Takae
To halt the construction of the helipads, people of Takae and the supporters hold a sit-inprotest. People stage a sit-in protest in front of the 4 gates of the U.S. military base, since
the gates are respectively away from each other by 2 or 3 kilometer; the sit-in requires
number of people. We request the cooperation of participating of as many people aspossible. Even one day or a half-day participation, if there are a number of people we canbring a stop to construction of the helipads.

WWF Japan

Residence’s group of No Helipad

TEL. +81-3-3769-1711

TEL /FAX. +81-980-51-2688

FAX. +81-3-3769-1717

E mail : info@nohelipadtakae.org

http：//www.wwf.or.jp

http：//takae.ti-da.net/